Community
Published: May 03, 2019
Community
Published: May 03, 2019

Egyptian Duo Bring Life Back to Children’s Center

A COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project in Cairo, Egypt, saw the rejuvenation of a center for vulnerable children. The El Salam Center is run by a local charity, FACE for Children in Need. This project was organized by our two dedicated staff members from Egypt – Emad Mabrouk, operation manager and Mohamed Sayed, financial and admin manager.

Being #PPGProud

Both Emad and Mohamed take pride in their duties. Emad manages all the planning and production of the site and oversees its logistics and procurement. He also plans and coordinates any extra requirements from the sales team:

When we gain a new sales project, we also aim to gain customer satisfaction. It’s inspiring to be part of the success of our company and achieve the company targets.
Emad Mabrouk

Mohamed tells us more about his role and what he enjoys about his job:

I supervise all the financial and admin tasks for the company including the control of working capital receivables, payables and liaise regularly with regional management. The most interesting part is being part of the team, providing my colleagues with insightful knowledge and experiences I’ve gained.
Mohamed Sayed

Going The Extra Mile For Those In Need

FACE for Children in Need is an organization serving vulnerable children. Egypt is home to 1.7 million orphaned children, so the work they do is never-ending. The El Salam Center, renovated during the Colorful Communities project, is both a drop-in and a transitional home. It offers access to food, hygiene facilities, medical and psychological care. Besides that, FACE also manages five orphanages and an emergence center for mothers and children.

Before the makeover, the El Salam building had not been renovated for 12 years and it felt like it was ‘covered in darkness’. The internal walls were full of cracks and in need of repair. The roof’s steel structures and iron gratings were completely covered in dust and the doors were coated in rust and stained yellow.

During their time at PPG, both Mohamed and Emad learned a lot about giving back to the community. This is what inspired them to set up the first ever Colorful Communities project in Egypt.

The fastest way to win people´s hearts is to give them a helping hand. A smile from a small helpless child is worth more than anything. I always try to give a helping hand in more ways than just charitable donations.
Mohamed Sayed

Beautifying El Salam Center

Because there was so much work to be done, from mid-January a hired construction company started working on the center. They fixed the walls and prepared everything for our volunteers, who transformed the center by painting the walls, wood and steel doors with SIGMA COATINGS® paints. They even added cheerful murals which were designed by a FACE volunteer.

The team dedicated their time to beautify El Salam’s interior and exterior in a color palette of blue, yellow, black, white, red, orange, green, brown, beige and pink. They chose the colors to create a welcoming, soothing and bright space for the children who have been through hard times and are rebuilding their lives in the center.

The building had truly transformed. All the children and staff were so pleased with the makeover! 

Helping these people didn’t necessary require lots of money but was done by the time and effort we all put in. Just radiating positive energy had a huge impact when carrying out the project.
Emad Mabrouk

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